October 29, 2001

Poll finds youth support for gay rights
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--Two-thirds of recent high school graduates support the right of gays and lesbians to marry, including an astonishing 80 percent of Catholics and 46 percent of Protestants who do not describe themselves as "born again."
___Those findings were released as part of a sweeping survey of high school attitudes on homosexuality conducted by MTV, Zogby International and Hamilton College.
___The poll found greater acceptance for gays and lesbians--as teachers, friends, Scouts and classmates--in the class of 2001 than among their parents or grandparents. Only 39 percent of graduates said "gay lifestyles are morally wrong."
___Among the poll's findings:
___ 71 percent support the right of gays to serve as Scout masters.
___ 88 percent support hate crimes legislation to protect gays.
___ 68 percent support adoption by gay and lesbian couples.
___ 79 percent support gay employment anti-discrimination laws.
___ 76 percent of evangelical Christian students oppose gay marriage.
___Taking into account a number of factors, researchers said 51 percent of graduates qualify as "pro-gay." In other polls, about one-third of adults support the rights of gay couples to marry, compared with 66 percent of teenagers.
___Nearly two-thirds of teens (62 percent) say homosexuality is a choice, while only 23 percent say homosexuality is something a person is "born with." That figure reflects a broader spectrum of sexual identity definitions common among young people.

Get printer-friendly version of this story


Send this story to a friend



News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!/ Signup for FirstLook